College Football Unfiltered

Tennessee football is out of College Football Playoff contention after a blowout loss to South Carolina, and Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is no longer a Heisman Trophy frontrunner after he got outplayed by Spencer Rattler. Worse, Hooker suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the fourth quarter, ending his special season and his college career.

With Hooker falling out of the Heisman debate, does the SEC still have a chance to produce a Heisman winner for the fourth straight season?

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams reflect on the Gamecocks' stunning upset of Tennessee, and they reset the Heisman field.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Kirby Smart successfully reloaded after losing 15 players to the NFL Draft off Georgia's national championship team. The Bulldogs are positioned to repeat as champs. Josh Heupel has Tennessee in playoff contention in his second year on the job. LSU won the SEC West in Brian Kelly's first season, a rapid ascent considering the Tigers had a makeshift roster as recently as January.

These three coaches form the shortlist of candidates for SEC coach of the year.

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the merits of each before making a selection that's subject to change based on how the next few weeks unfold.

Later, they supply a couple of names for consideration for SEC "Turkey of the Year," and they re-examine the debate of whether Lane Kiffin should job-hop from Ole Miss to Auburn.

Finally, they deliver their Week 12 picks against the spread!

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Kirby Smart is college football's best coach. No, not of all time. That distinction remains with Nick Saban.

But for now and the foreseeable future, Smart tops the chart. Once again, he's built and developed the nation's best team. Georgia is favored to repeat as national champions.

If you're drafting a coach from the SEC to build and lead your program, Smart should be first off the board. But, would Saban go No. 2?

The way Brian Kelly fast-tracked LSU's rebuild, including Saturday's upset of the Tide, offers an interesting debate for second choice in the SEC behind Smart.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider that topic.

Saban's dynasty has been declared dead before and rose from the grave. Don't count out the GOAT.

Later in the episode, is Jimbo Fisher's buyout the only reason he remains employed? And, why the heck did Missouri award Eliah Drinkwitz a two-year contract extension?

Plus, Week 10 picks, with Toppmeyer clinging to a narrow lead!

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Lane Kiffin says he's "extremely happy" at Ole Miss, where his Rebels "have something special going."

That doesn't mean Auburn won't shoot its shot with Kiffin, after firing Bryan Harsin. But what if Kiffin says no?

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider six names for the Auburn opening.

Toppmeyer makes the sales pitch for the candidates, while Adams offers his verdict on whether he likes the hire or if Auburn should pass.

They also react to the initial College Football Playoff rankings.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

The SEC should be well-represented when the first College Football Playoff rankings are released Tuesday night. If the committee foremost values résumé, Tennessee and Georgia may form a 1-2 punch ahead of fellow undefeated teams like Ohio State and Michigan.

Alabama would earn a playoff bid if it wins out, so don't get too caught up in its ranking. The Crimson Tide has no margin for error, but would be in if it wins the SEC Championship. Also, one-loss Ole Miss is on the fringe of the playoff hunt.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate whether the Vols or Georgia should be No. 1, whether the SEC will qualify two playoff teams, and how Alabama should be viewed compared to TCU and Clemson, which are undefeated.

Also, Alabama-LSU is the second-fiddle game to Georgia-Tennessee this week. Is that an aberration or the start of a trend? Plus, Week 10 picks against the spread!

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Bryan Harsin has been in possession of the hot seat for so long, he might have to pay property tax.

Auburn's second-year coach is 9-11 at a school that fired the previous coach despite eight consecutive winning seasons. Plus, AU already has parted with Allen Greene, the athletics director who hired Harsin. Every game now feels like it could be Harsin's last, and his Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SEC) will host Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday.

After Harsin, though, who in the SEC sits on the hottest seat?

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider three candidates for consideration for next up on the hot seat.

Later, Toppmeyer sounds off on Nick Saban's farcical explanation for why he played Jermaine Burton last week despite a postgame incident at Tennessee.

And, they offer their Week 9 picks against the spread!

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Three SEC football teams remain undefeated, while another is Alabama. Combined, the conference has four teams that have a path to the College Football Playoff.

That doesn't mean each is a serious contender, though.

No. 1 Georgia (7-0, 4-0) and No. 4 Tennessee (6-0, 3-0) are in a chase for the SEC East crown. No. 7 Ole Miss (7-0, 3-0) leads the SEC West, even though No. 6 Alabama (6-1, 3-1) is one spot ahead in the rankings.

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate the playoff chances of those four teams.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Jimbo Fisher talked a big game throughout the offseason, but he didn't have the offense to take down Alabama.

Josh Heupel doesn't move the needle at news conferences, but the Tennessee coach possesses two things Jimbo didn't: a star quarterback in Hendon Hooker, and a cutting-edge offensive scheme that puts defenses into conflict.

The Vols will challenge Alabama in a clash of unbeatens that should have Nick Saban's Tide on upset alert.

On today's episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams discuss the Third Saturday in October matchup and also highlight the state of football at Ole Miss (get those back-door covers!) and Mississippi State (Mike Leach learns to run!).

Also, Week 7 picks against the spread.

One of the biggest games of the college football season was supposed to occur this Saturday, when Alabama hosts Texas A&M.

It is the day of reckoning after Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher exchanged barbs in the offseason. When the season started, though, Fisher's peacocking faded, and A&M got unmasked as a fraud. This looks like a mismatch, despite Saban's "rat poison" warnings.

So, if not A&M, which team can threaten the No. 1-ranked Tide en route to the SEC Championship in Atlanta?

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams evaluate three teams, in particular, that could challenge the Tide: Tennessee, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

One stands above the rest.

Also, what's wrong with Georgia? And, some Week 6 picks against the spread.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Logic says Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State are playoff frontrunners, while the competition for the final bid could get wonky.

But how’s this for a wild card? The winner of this week’s clash of No. 8 Kentucky at No. 11 Ole Miss should be viewed as a longshot playoff contender. Each team has a relatively manageable schedule, and the victor of this game may find a path to a backdoor playoff bid.

On this episode, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider the prospects of a surprise playoff qualifier from the SEC, and they debate whether Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin or Kentucky’s Mark Stoops should parlay their success into a bigger-name job.

Toppmeyer contends that Kiffin and Stoops can make the playoff without changing jobs. That will be more evident after the playoff expands to 12 teams.

Later, they offer the latest case of SEC coaching malpractice, and they supply their Week 5 picks.

Stay connected on Twitter with Blake (@btoppmeyer) and John (@JohnAdamsKNS) and stay up to date on SEC football news by subscribing to KnoxNews: knoxnews.com/subscribe.